My Conversations: Collection of Essays

By Peter Obidike

The esssays where written over the course of over 10 years! Yes, ten years, you can look out for “Back stage at Peter Obidike dot com to get the deatils. Luckily it is the first we have listed for your reading pleasure! What we have done here is to organize the writtings into three themes, Contemporary, Food & Family and Politics and have inserted some responses for the top ones in each theme from our yahoo groups discussions, a lot more were on facebook but we had to start from somewhere. We did think of going further to paint a picture of each title re-emphasising the intent of the writting but we will rather leave if for the scholars that will do justice to these works someday.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781663212757

Peter Obidike

Obidike Peter is a practicing Petroleum Engineer with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Nigeria. His is from Isuofia in Aguata LGA of Anambra State Nigeria. Born into a family of twelve children he enjoys family life with the connectedness that come with it. He loves reading and writing as part of leisure and has a personal website at www.peterobidike.com where he pours out his mind about the things that go on around him in a humorous way while drawing lessons for everyday life. He is married to Christy Obidike and their life revolve around their four daughters; Chidera, Laura, Tonia and Amarachi

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Copyright © 2022 Peter Obidike.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-1274-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1275-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020921981

iUniverse rev. date: 12/23/2021

Contents

Introduction

Contemporary Works

Chapter 1 Back stage at Peter Obidike dot com

Chapter 2 Andrew’s double mind about checking out!

Chapter 3 My recent experience with police extortion

Chapter 4 Welcome to Aba, the dirtiest city in West Africa

Chapter 5 GEJ, MALCOM GLADWELL and the art of battling Giants!

Chapter 6 Chimamanda Adichie, Uncle Eugene and this Reverend Sister!

Chapter 7 Winning the hearts and minds of Nigerians through citizen diplomacy

Chapter 8 This sleep is too sweet

Chapter 9 Breast feeding and levelled playing ground

Chapter 10 How Trump saved me from Poverty

Chapter 11 My US broken health system experience, a post script

Chapter 12 Na joke I de joke oh

Chapter 13 Stress of Voter Card Transfer and hope it is worth it.

Chapter 14 Towards a dedicated Nigerian workforce

Chapter 15 Chaz B and the anonymous Nigerian

Chapter 16 Little thoughts on small scale self-start ups

Chapter 17 Smart ways to beat this heat at its own game

Chapter 18 A right to change my mind

Chapter 19 Baba Hassan

Chapter 20 Building Tricks to maximize the use of your land

Chapter 21 CCTV to the rescue

Chapter 22 Daddy, buy this house

Chapter 23 D’banj, Don Jazzy, P square and lessons in teamwork

Chapter 24 Bargaining Tricks called Nzama in my mother Tongue

Chapter 25 Eko Atlantic project, lessons for the lekki round-abouts

Chapter 26 Emefiele, biko, lend me money, my ATM never reverse!

Chapter 27 Flyovers, wide roads and case for sustainable Nigerian road designs

Chapter 28 From Benz to Ferari, my power infrastructure story continues

Chapter 29 Getting our Engineers to write more

Chapter 30 Give way for VIP, lest he be late for God’s appointment!

Chapter 31 His father lied

Chapter 32 Journey of My quest for cheap fuel

Chapter 33 Linda Ikeji, Maheeda, Amber Rose and the race to the Garden of Eden.

Chapter 34 Maintaining order in these other rooms

Chapter 35 Making sense of the Healthy Food, healthy life mantra

Chapter 36 Modelling the next Nigerian President of my dream

Chapter 37 My gist with Chima, my Abuja cab man

Chapter 38 My ‘Pull Him Down’ weekend

Chapter 39 My sour experience with a Traffic Police gang and their tricks one must avoid.

Chapter 40 My unscheduled inspection of Southern Nigeria Roads

Chapter 41 Nigeria’s banking Elite versus the Automated Masses

Chapter 42 Nigerians and our deaf sleeping dilemma

Chapter 43 Nigerians and quest for affordable and decent housing

Chapter 44 Nigerians and Work ethics

Chapter 45 Ntutu! A wicked vise in the land nobody wants to confront!

Chapter 46 Obigbo hustlers’ and advances in Pure Water Sales

Chapter 47 Oil as alternative national reserve

Chapter 48 Paintings of Eve

Chapter 49 Recent Kidnapping attacks on the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road

Chapter 50 Resurrecting the spirit and vision of Robert Fisher at GCU’s 2015 home coming

Chapter 51 Stephen Hawking, M- theory and the new concept of time

Chapter 52 Tale of my two villages

Chapter 53 Teacher Anthony deserves a National Award

Chapter 54 The half-truth in blaming cement for building collapse

Chapter 55 The power of Word of Mouth marketing

Chapter 56 The thing around her waist

Chapter 57 The War on Truth

Chapter 58 Tricks by con men at MMIA exposed.

Chapter 59 We are paying more

Chapter 60 Who came last if all dads took the first positions?

Chapter 61 Why I am going to write tonight

Chapter 62 Why I hate school runs

Chapter 63 Why I may not need that PHCN refund

Chapter 64 Why my ‘white haired uncle’ tore his green card

Chapter 65 Why you need to stop and take that walk right now!

Chapter 66 Why you will need to buy my book

Chapter 67 Another fight is going down tonight.

Chapter 68 Being a woman, married and Nigerian may be a curse according to a Nigerian company

Chapter 69 Bosses and what I think

Chapter 70 Breaking PHCN monopoly via the use of LPG

Chapter 71 French Perfumes and my latest distraction

Chapter 72 My Apologies

Chapter 73 My Decision Quality Analysis of why building or buying a house for rental income makes no sense

Chapter 74 My tennis, My character

Chapter 75 Pictures really speak louder than words

Chapter 76 Setting Nigeria right via Edo Jacob’s Digital Transformation

Chapter 77 The Building of the Panama Canal and lessons from History.

Chapter 78 The day we went to my school

Chapter 79 The Nigerian Businessman and IjiUgwo

Chapter 80 Who kissed our military

Chapter 81 Why I like Adult Education

Chapter 82 Why I like hard copies. (This essay is rated 18+)

Chapter 83 Why Nigeria (and Nigerians) must begin to contend with its (their) enemies

Chapter 84 Why Nigeria needs Leaders who can sleep!

Chapter 85 Why we need trees around our homes

Chapter 86 Why your sponge may need that hot bath

Family and Food

Chapter 87 I am happy she left

Chapter 88 My Things series; things I remember while growing up

Chapter 89 Please, let me do your Laundry

Chapter 90 This Chidinma’s wedding rocked!

Chapter 91 For the sake of our children

Chapter 92 How God saved my baby from my stuffy room

Chapter 93 In Praise of our Aunts and Uncles

Chapter 94 Just realized I was not supposed to be born

Chapter 95 My home uninterrupted power story and learnings

Chapter 96 My thoughts and mixed feelings as schools resume today

Chapter 97 My weekend of sorrow and humour

Chapter 98 Our first visit and that ‘Mass of the Holy Ghost’

Chapter 99 Pray it doesn’t come to you

Chapter 100 Remembering lessons from my Mum this PICOCK Valentine

Chapter 101 That New Year story my dad told me

Chapter 102 What my Auntie told me this weekend at the village

Chapter 103 Why I like Visiting days

Chapter 104 Like EFCC, like Nwanyi Ube

Chapter 105 My latest distraction and the feast of the Pentecost

Chapter 106 My other Laundry needs and your business proposals

Chapter 107 That song that got me reflecting on His goodness on Father’s day

Chapter 108 The day we took that family picture

Chapter 109 Uka Mgbede

Chapter 110 How I confirmed my Dad actually came first

Chapter 111 That my dad’s visit and the Nigerian civil war

Chapter 112 Sights and sounds from meeting umunna

Politics

Chapter 113 The real reason Nigeria’s economy is in crisis

Chapter 114 Things you cannot take away from Rochas Okorocha of Imo State of Nigeria

Chapter 115 Nigerian Leaders Choices as root cause of insecurity

Chapter 116 The Survival Mindset and tackling corruption in Nigerian from first principles

Chapter 117 A second chance for Nigeria as Anambra state joins the Oil producing states club

Chapter 118 Accidental Public Servant changes my perception of El Rufai

Chapter 119 As Africa’s largest ruling political party tends to largest opposition party

Chapter 120 Before OBJ attempts removing the spec in GEJ’s eyes

Chapter 121 Chibok girls, Nyanya bomb victims and Nigeria’s search for peace in our life time

Chapter 122 Eighteen more states in Nigeria? Ozekhome and co got this one wrong!

Chapter 123 February 2015 Presidential Elections and Completing the Foundation phase of the Nigerian Democracy Project

Chapter 124 Government acted on my ultimatum, now I’m tempted to issue another.

Chapter 125 Governor Obiano’s score card just turned from amber to green

Chapter 126 Legalizing corruption via due process

Chapter 127 My Agenda for GMB, the president Elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Chapter 128 My Prayer for Nigeria

Chapter 129 Nigerians’ social rights crusade and lessons from the US civil rights campaign

Chapter 130 No Loss to the Government by IOB

Chapter 131 Now that Politics and Religion are fully in bed in Nigeria

Chapter 132 Predicting the expiry date of PMB’s goodwill amongst Nigerians

Chapter 133 Reflections on the implications of Nigeria’s new auto policy

Chapter 134 Understanding Buhari’s six year mandate concerning the fight against corruption

Chapter 135 You cannot put my guy under pressure!

Chapter 136 Why FRSC may need POS on our roads

Chapter 137 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria and Fighting Dangerous Corruption

Chapter 138 Political prostitution and what we can all learn from it

Introduction

In 2020, the year of the COVID 19 pandemic my first publication was released. Aladinma; eigtheis to ninties, a reconnet was released to the delight of my teaming audience. Aladinma sort to freeze time in life as it was seen in the eigthies to ninties, in a local suburb in Nigeria. My conversations, shares experiences from the new millennia from a larger Nigerian context. So what Aldinma is to eighties to ninties you will find out, My Conversations try to do for the new millennia.

Nigeria continues to struggle for sustainable and selfless leadership and its children continue to find ways to express themselves in the mist of the challenges of everyday living while smilling as they get by each day. Fela used to call it suffering and smiling.

The dated esssays you are about to enjoy where written over the course of over 10 years! Yes, ten years. You can look out for "Back stage at Peter Obidike dot com to get the deatils. Luckily it is the first we have listed for your reading pleasure! What we have done here is to organize the writtings into three themes, Contemporary, Food & Family and Politics. We were going to insert some responses for the top ones in each theme from our yahoo groups (of blessed memories; lol) discussions, facebook and other channels but we had to leave them out because the essays are already a large collecction. We did think of going further to paint a picture of each title re-emphasising the intent of the writting but we will rather leave if for the scholars that will do justice to these works someday.

Just scaning the titles bring that nostalgia about everyday leaving in Nigeria in the new millenium. From Chibok girls, EFCC to Nigerian politics; there is someting for everyone. There are book reviews and yes, you will read Chimamanda in one form or the other. You will read Edo Jacobs and his exploits in digitalizing Nigeria a long time before the blockchain bug caught up with Nigeria. Enjoy the struggles of Nigerians with respect to affordable housing, fuel, power and quality education. Nigerians have indeed been through a lot and loving it! Such expressions of love can be found in our lovely cuisines as we try to keep soul and body together. For the speciality of that aspect of our conversations, our adventures in food are reserved for another upcoming work!

These writings are original works that capture the feelings of Nigerians and how they have reacted about the happenings around them from the perspective of the writer. One looks forward to the next decades and centuries and prays that these stories will enrich the discussions of where Nigeria has come from!

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Contemporary

Works

Chapter 1

Back stage at Peter Obidike dot com

This is about the tenth year of My Conversations, a litany of my frustrations and excitements in this obodo Nigeria. Ten years based on alternative facts if you consider my unpublished story in 2007 (brooding period) titled this arrogance of OBJ’s daughter or the story of my dad’s kidnap experience two years after in 2009. Actually, that one got mentioned in PUNCH. The one on OBJ’s daughter was written January 2008 and you will be shocked at the expose of NO LOSS TO THE GOVERNMENT BY IOB. I have elected to publish that as one of my series in the coming weeks but be sure to have the patience as it is a long one.

Things took a turn for the better in terms of my ability to pour out more of those things around my stomach when I relocated from Lagos in 2011. I had this theory that the Lagos life may actually be hampering intellectual ability given that one would hardly feel the urge to write after passing through the horrors of traffic from the office. I think I had even forgotten about writing until my dad wrote some articles, he passed on to someone who happened to be our relative working with PUNCH. The article got published and that got me excited like a baby. I was really impressed in the richness of the experience he shared and I subsequently passed on my own busy body writings to PUNCH via the same channel and as God would have it, I got mentioned one day and that marked the beginning of my journey into continuous writing. You can imagine how it felt to be called by a friend (or family) informing you of your article he saw in the papers.

That romance continued as I suspected, as long as the king that knew Joseph was around in PUNCH. Of course, not all the writings were PUNCH worthy, but I was happy to contribute, and I would always look forward to every day hoping to get mentioned. I cannot imagine how much I spent then buying the newspaper to enjoy the news and other stories and as well look out for my own. With frustrations from a dwindling mention, my friend Edo Rex, the Author of the Award winning book Digital Transformation, Evolving a digitally enabled Nigerian public service, came to the rescue, he facilitated the opening up of the website www.peterobidike.com in a bid to ensure that my audience continued to get their feed without my having to wait for PUNCH and other media outlets. And by the way, Digital Transformation... is about to be launched in Nigeria and the relevant committees are working flat out to ensure a hitch free outing. The launch is scheduled for Thursday August 24th at Nicon Luxury Hotel Abuja so be sure to attend if you can.

With the debut of peterobidike dot com (and other channels including facebook and Yahoo mail groups) came the pressure of maintaining the writing feeds since it was a mono author site and remains one till today, having published only one other article from a colleague’s daughter about life in the middle east. The excitement I felt when my attention was drawn to any of my essays in PUCNH was the same with each like I got on facebook or a response or reply from my mail groups. My Conversations target was at least one response! Depending on the topic, sometimes it got many, sometimes few, some other times none, but it did not deter My Conversations. I knew they were being read but the time so short that people couldn’t possibly respond and sometimes, didn’t know the importance of their like. However, since the emergence of Trump’s presidency alongside alternative facts as a concept, my conversations can now comfortably boast of readership in thousands and millions!

Every essay starts first with the brooding stage when an observation is made of a phenomenon or issue around my environment. Consciously and unconsciously, the issue starts to take shape as complementing issues come to play and inter relationships develop between these ordinarily unconnected issues. Then Mother Nature takes her turn to mix all those thoughts in my dreams while I sleep, and you will be surprised how nice a cook she is. This sleeping part is very essential and that was why I was worried when Yar’dua was sick because I knew how important sleep and dreams were in shaping thoughts that can produce sustainable ideas necessary for quality leadership. Once Mother Nature was done cooking, it was time to serve the dish as I only then needed to sit down for about an hour or two to pour out the dish (an experience you would enjoy once you start) and hoped my audience would enjoy the meal.

On occasions when I do not go through this process, I do what I call manual mechanical writing and trust me, it can be very frustrating as you struggle to put anything down just like my friend told me the other day. He jokingly said over dinner that he was jealous of me, knowing full well he was as intelligent, if not even more, but now sees me as more intelligent given my writings and because of that, he spent about two hundred and fifty thousand naira to buy a reading and writing desk in order to start his own writing. On the first day, he sat down on his two hundred and fifty-thousand-naira desk, looked at his computer, looked again and continued to stare as nothing came out of his coconut head! (lol, na joke I de joke oh), because he has not been initiated which is what I intend to do by this essay, a writing clinic for those who care to start.

The title of each essay has proven to be key in catching the attention of the target audience as we compete in the social media for space given the so many channels. Some essays start with a title as the brooding progresses while some get their titles framed after the meal is cooked but careful attention is given to this part of the work.

Initially, it was hard to keep up with the pressure, and the urge to depend on the mechanical writing was there but my friend mentioned to me one day, that, it was better to have one solid meal a day than rubbish three square meals and I took that advice electing to rather do a proper job as the spirit directs. Reading books as time permits, listening attentively in conversations and observing my environment as much as possible have come in handy in developing materials for my cooking. Sometimes, a long walk while listening to the radio or some music has done the magic just like this piece which I wrote after a long morning walk. It has a way of letting you think deep into issues that may materialize as subjects of everyday discussion.

Interestingly, given our society, there are topics one gets shy to talk about such as sexuality but another of my friend came to the rescue again. He encouraged me not to think about what some people may say, noting that such thought could discourage creativity. This emboldened My Conversation and it was no longer shy to call out Vagina or Penis and all the likes in any essay that required such to bring out the message. Unfortunately, that boldness has not reached the level of diving into politics and the likes that may take one to Jail, or make one become the target of bad people or get one into detention like the publishers of Sahara Reporters, as my Children still de small. Also, a no go area is that of religion, the opium of the people and this one is for obvious reasons, to keep my audience focused on other social issues that can educate and entertain them while leaving the personal religious beliefs private.

Second part of Back stage... will focus on the struggle with English language, rushing to press and the people who ensure we lay back and do a better job.

Peter Obidike wrote from www.peterobidike.com and [e-mail]

Good Friday 14th April 2017

Chapter 2

Andrew’s double mind about checking out!

I remember campaigns about Andrew checking out a couple of years back. The term referred to those that felt Nigeria was frustrating and believed living abroad will be better. This trend coincided with the brain drain syndrome where a lot of our academics went abroad where their contributions to human development could be appreciated than the decay in our University systems and series of unending industrial actions aimed at getting the government of the day to give education the focus it deserved.

Then, once Andrew made up his mind, there was no looking back! He took his bag and family and went wherever his heart finds rest! Not so for the latter-day Andrews’. The Andrews’ of these days would rather check out their families to Canada or USA and stay back in Nigeria to earn the money to support the family abroad. These set of Nigerians cut across sectors; politicians who win elections here while living abroad simply come back without their families (this is a reverse check-out!) with our state governors falling under this category, victims of American lottery or Canadian immigration programs (21st century or second generation slaves) and diplomats or oil industry personnel who tasted the milk and honey in living abroad while on cross postings and will never want their children to have anything to do with Nigeria again as if they that grew up and studied in Nigeria lost out in life. The later is the target of this writting and it can be argued that up to thirty percent (30%) of the younger population in the industry within the ages of 35 to 45 are involved, thus it is a very serious issue that needs a national debate.

The arguments have been, oh it’s the women that will not allow the family to come back home after their assignment abroad, there are no good schools to cater for the kids after tasting real education, no electricity and bad infrastructure etc.

To be fair to this group, on infrastructure, Nigeria is really a difficult place to live. I remember the very dirty scenes and traffic that confront me around Orile bus stop in Lagos everyday on my way to and from work. It was enough to unsettle one for the evening. Then check out the heat you will have to contend with when you get home or the noise if you are among the few that run generators. I ones had to write my neighbor begging him to turn off his generator by mid-night so we could sleep in peace! This contrasts with the serenity, beauty and peace you experience working abroad. Roads are all tarred, flowers smile and cheer at you as you cruise home from a hard day’s work! You can be sure to turn on the air conditioner and sleep with all eyes closed or do some further work at home if you have need to.

I do not however buy the excuse that it’s the women that persuade the family to stay behind or the lack of quality education in Nigeria since there are American and British schools in Nigeria.

I believe that most of the folks are driven not just by the infrastructure and other excuses but fear of the future of Nigeria and what it holds for their kids. They would rather have the kids study abroad so that they can be competitive and get high paying jobs if they decide to come back to Nigeria or they can be sure to get a good employment abroad when they finish their studies.

Some Andrews’ have a clear cut strategy to do the shuttling for a couple of years and then quit. That is having the family repatriated to Nigerian to join their patriarch or have him relocate abroad so the family can be together again. Some others don’t have such a strategy and will wait and see what the future will bring (maybe another cross posting). To this later group, is the possibility that they may have checked out because they saw their colleagues do the same without thinking through the implications of a separated family. I have been privileged to experience to some degree what such a separation can do to families been the kid of a federal civil servant. With my dad visiting so many parts of this country on transfers, the family had to settle in a city at a point and my dad continued with his transfers only to come back on retirement. The early days of that retirement witnessed a lot of issues because the couple appeared to have lost touch with each other.

With Andrew working in Nigeria and visiting his family in Canada four times (let me be generous about this one) a year, his is even more difficult. How does he inculcate into his kids the fear and discipline that is supposed to come from a father if he is relying on SKYPE and FACEBOOK to communicate with his kids? How does he meet his wife’s conjugal needs and vis versa? What is the definition and purpose of family? How can you have a family and still come home to an empty house everyday in your prime time in life when you are supposed to bond with those kids. If you don’t enjoy their company now, is it when they enter boarding schools and off to universities and then live on their own that you will enjoy them? Life is too short to hope on that. And we have not even talked about the financial and travelling risks associated with these movements.

Andrew needs to re-evaluate his strategy. He should simply make up his mind, pack his bag and go abroad if he wants to enjoy the beauty of living abroad. He may only have to compromise a little with respect to his earnings but that is nothing compared to the love of a child running into your arms when you come back from work especially in this valentine season. He can decide to bring the family home to Nigeria and make do with the quality of private educational institutions that may mimic what he will miss abroad. Whatever option he chooses, he needs to make the call now before it’s too late.

Post script: ‘my friend will rather title this piece absentee husband"

Obidike Peter

Sunday 17th February 2013

[e-mail]

Chapter 3

My recent experience with police extortion

Nigerian police contribution to the security and development of the country is so much overshadowed by the bad public image it has, just as the good works of IkediOhakim, the former Imo state governor was overshadowed by his bad public image and alleged misbehaviors. Each time I see a Nigerian policeman, I think of the sacrifice they go through by not being with their families while keeping watch over a nation that does not appreciate them. Salaries are poor and they have inadequate tools to work with such that they are easy targets of armed robbers. This is indeed a great sacrifice for our peace and security.

Hence it pains one when this sacrifice is rubbished in the court of public opinion because of a few bad instances like the one I went through yesterday on my way to a relative’s funeral. The incident happened at UmuApu along PortHarcourt Owerri road. I was flagged down by an officer and he asked for my driver’s license which I obliged him. He looked at the document and declared it fake because as he pointed out, a code at the right bottom area at the back started with OG instead of LA as the issuing state written in front indicated Lagos. Attempt to explain that I personally went to Bamgboshe in Lagos Island, underwent the data capture and other processes to obtain the document fell on the ears of an increasingly angered officer. And who am I to argue with an officer that just detected fraudulent document? Unfortunately, there was no subject matter expert around to clarify. Even my calling the FRSC emergency number (070022553772, which I got from their website the next day) did not clarify the issue because the officer did not know the details and whether it was wrong or right. The fact is that I spent over six months processing this document the policeman dubbed fake! This was a time the Lagos state government and FRSC where in partnership on production. Lagos collected the fees and data while FRSC printed and thus it’s possible that after the data capture in Lagos, FRSC may have chosen to print anywhere especially Ogun state given availability of materials at the location at the time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t argue with the officer and they threatened that if we eventually get to the CID office in Owerri, they will first detain me and all other gimmicks of forcing one to negotiate an amicable settlement. This we did and I handed over to Henry Okoye, my hard-earned money under duress. He in fact, told me that he was not attempting to extort me, that we could be friends if I so wished afterwards. He told me of such a friend that gave him sixty-five thousand Naira on the same highway because they became friends (after such extortion? I asked myself).

The incident so pained me I thought of turning back but had to continue and hoping no other check point officer detects the inconsistency with another round of negotiation. On self examination, I asked myself whether I should have forgone the funeral and proceeded to the CID office with the officer and at least get the FRSC involved to clarify the issue? But that option seemed dangerous and uncertain that I opted to have a closure on my conscience by pouring it out here.

With the recently inaugurated Nigerian Police code of conduct (I have not seen a copy yet) one would expect changes in attitude after police officers undergo training on the policy. An obvious honest mistake (not in this case as I strongly believe in the genuineness of the document) from a fellow country man should not be exploited for pecuniary gains but should warrant a caution and assistance, that’s the way the Nigerian Police can be our friends, not after extortion.

Obidike Peter wrote from [e-mail]

Today Sunday 20th January 2013

Chapter 4

Welcome to Aba, the dirtiest

city in West Africa

I am a hundred percent sure Chief Sam OnunakaMbakwe will be a very sad man in his grave today. With the amount of filth, I saw in Aba yesterday, who won’t be? Back in the days, Mgbeenuwu ana osa (when the squirrel had its aboard on the trees), I remember Owerri was touted as the cleanest capital in Nigeria and by extension its environs including Aba. There was a company called SULO that handled the disposal of wastes. I remember how excited we normally were as kids watching the automatic loading of the metallic waste bins placed strategically all over the state. Once the labour hands brought the bin close to the truck, the big magnet at the back grabs the bin, lifts it up and empties its contents in the truck’s bucket and then jerks the bin to be sure everything drops. There was less contact by the labour hands with the dirt.

Fast forward to the present day and my trip to Aba revealed this shocking situation in the highly industrialized town. Driving into Abo via PortHarcourt road, there was heaps of garbage everywhere on this strategic road that my daughter asked me why there was garbage everywhere. Apparently, they hadn’t seen that kind of sight before. It is so bad a very long stretch of the road is covered with this filth with height of an SUV. Given that the day was not an environmental sanitation day, one wonders what it will be like on such a day. At some point the filth takes over the whole road and cars had to divert to get around.

My mind began to question the purpose of government. Could it be that there is no local government in this town? If there is such a government, what is their primary responsibility? How will a local government chairman or caretaker committee chairman drive past these heaps of garbage and not be perturbed? Honestly, I cannot help but be very ashamed of myself, if I was such a fellow. This is unbelievable! Even the Governor of the state cannot be excused from this situation. I am sure the large chunk of internally generated revenue for Abia state comes from this town. How come, it is so neglected to the detriment of the health of its citizens? I figured out this neglect of large cities by central governments cuts across Nigeria. State governments focus on state capitals while neglecting major towns. Aba must not be made a state capital before it can be given attention, just like Onitsha in Anambra state or even Lagos that needs a federal attention.

The health implication of this situation can only be imagined. Aba is not only manufacturing industrial goods but also very healthy mosquitoes and rats to ensure the citizens and government spend a major part of their earnings in hospital bills. It will be interesting to take a health survey in this city to find out the predominant illness by its citizens and its frequency.

And come to think that this is the town I heard Professor bart Nnaji (past Nigeria’s minister of Power) is building an independent power plant to assist the industries there. The story was that he felt for the city, knowing how strategic and industrially inclined it was. Did I also hear he went there with World Bank officials? How and which day of the week did they get around the town to the industrial complexes? How did he make this choice of building an IPP? Maybe sweeping the town should have been the first thing on the agenda before electricity. A filthy city is not an investor’s heaven any day. Even when Aba manufactures, it needs partners all over the world to buy and service the industrial spares required to keep the machinery going. How will these investors feel coming to a city that is so filthy their health may be in danger?

It reminded me of the pain of the same sort of sight I witnessed as I went home from work every day from Lagos Island to AmuwoOdofin in Festac via Orile. Orile bus stop was like a garbage bin we had to pass everyday with a large part of the waste coming from the market situated just at the bus stop. The waste and bus drivers take up major part of the road that there is a perpetual traffic gridlock at the bus stop, and this lasted for years until the recent development of the Lagos light rail system. In some other climes, going home from work can be an exciting trip, looking over well trimmed lawns and flowers, but not in Nigeria. The sight was enough to make one throw up and I suddenly would not want to chide the Andrews anymore for taking their preferred option.

Aba needs help, not only in providing electricity so that its industrial complexes can come alive, but so that its citizens may be alive to work in those complexes. Ochendo (that’s what the governor is called) should direct his lieutenants to do the most necessary thing and keep this town clean before our investor visitors arrive, lest they come, go and never return.

Obidike Peter wrote from [e-mail]

8th June 2013

Chapter 5

GEJ, MALCOM GLADWELL

and the art of battling Giants!

When Fareed Zakaria of CNN introduced Malcom Gladwell and his new book DAVID AND GOLIATH, underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would make a good reading, so I ordered one immediately and it did make an interesting reading.

Reading the theories Gladwell proposed in his book, I situated several of them in the context of my environment to test how they may apply. Of interest was the concept of Advantages of disadvantage or disadvantages of advantage. A familiar concept he used in explaining this concept is the concept of Big fish in a small pond or small fish in a big pond! He talked of the affirmative action in the US, where disadvantaged blacks were given a notch in a bid to help them but they end up being at the bottom of their classes and sighted the fact that over fifty percent of African American law students are in the bottom ten percent of their law school class and almost three quarters fall in the bottom twenty percent. As I read this bit, my friend’s reason for not joining other so-called smart kids to Science school in Etiti, Imo state rang a bell. Imo state had conceived an idea to gather very intelligent junior secondary school students to a unique senior secondary school for sciene at the old Imo state university site at Etiti with the aim of developing a centre of excellence for these set of students. My friend, being the best in his school then, told me he had no reason going to the science school since he was already comfortably ahead of everyone in Emmanuel College then. According to Gladwell’s theory, my friend was right in deciding to remain a big fish in a small pond than go to a place where his dominance as a local champion would be challenged. However, a character named caroline in the book was not that wise and ended up going to an elite school, where she failed, to her surprise and dent to self worth. Thinking about my friend’s choice further, I realized that the theory may not always apply as things that happened in the science school which I attended suggests. Unlike Gladwell’s characters, all the kids that attended the science school at least within the first four sets of the introduction of the school excelled in their senior school certificate exams and none was frustrated because he/she felt he/she was no longer the top of their classes. And this was because the students entered for their senior school certificate and made that the focus of their ambition neglecting local class challenge, that way they all became big fish in a small pond (intelligent among a larger not as much intelligent sample) again rather than small fish in a big pond (intelligent among very intelligent small sample) my friend was afraid of!

Thinking further I remembered the uproar the fact that some states in the country had as low a score as 2 in the entrance exam to the Unity colleges in the country. The debate had equal sound arguments on each side of the divide and like Mr Gladwell put it, such policies are not wrong, it is something done with the best intentions, however the blessings of the Big pond are mixed and it is strange how rarely the Big ponds downsides are mentioned.

And that brings me to the case of GEJ, a president most Nigerians today think will not succeed as a president having come from a very poor background, even without shoes! unlike the past and present Generals that have ruled this country. GEJ came with a lot of disadvantages and has faced many Goliaths including a vicious press that seem not to see anything good in whatever he does, a more articulate opposition party in APC, unlike the days of Baba, a better coordinated and independent legislature, and an arguably shaky presidential carriage and public composure. However, these were the same attributes David had that the king instructed that he be given some more amours to be able to confront the giant from Philistine without knowing David had different plans. Goliath had all the amour he needed but unfortunately those amour that were supposed to help him were the very things that slowed him down that when David swooped on him, he suddenly realized it was not a direct contact combat but something more scientific and alas, he was not prepared for it!

Often Nigerians have opted for an action President who would rather act before thinking and play to the gallery. The results have thus beenadhoc selfish and self centered measures and severalnon sustainable policies not anchored on solid institutional frame works. Such was the case of the sale of NITEL, government’s multibillion-dollar investments in PHCN without tangible results and the operations of EFCC. However, look at the recent achievement of this GEJ, especially the privatization of PHCN, an institution that has defiled all drugs proffered by past administrations. I am even surprised at myself to be singing GEJ’s praise. I never thought any good of GEJ to be honest, with some of the so-called blunders that were not in public interest, such as pardoning of his political Godfather. But GEJ remains undeterred by critics and have benefited from them and remained focused on delivering a better tomorrow for Nigerians. In this journey I have come to realize a master stroke GEJ is using and have had cause to discuss this with a couple of friends who don’t see anything big about it. GEJ have constantly had a High Priest around him in the person of Pastor Oritsejafor and you cannot take it away from him that this is the best thing that has happened to him. Believe it or not, each time I see the President and the Pastor in a public pose, it reminds me of the duties of the high priests to the kings of Israel. He may not be a spiritual man but his recognition of the role of God in his success speaks of his humility and trust in the mighty hand of God in his quest to conquer all his Goliaths!

Obidike Peter wrote from [e-mail]

24th November 2013

Chapter 6

Chimamanda Adichie, Uncle

Eugene and this Reverend Sister!

Every time I pass by the Catholic Church near my house in the evenings, I cannot but appreciate how true the saying change is the only constant thing in life is. To hear Catholics, speak in tongues is something unusual at least a couple of years back and even in the present day in some remote locations where the traditional conservative forms of catholic worship still hold. Dancing, singing and all the gyrations visible in the Pentecostal world was easily acceptable, understandable and thus adoptable before the concept of tongues and tithing gradually gained ground.

You can then imagine my thoughts on how Uncle Eugene will feel were he to be my neighbor. Uncle Eugene is a principal character in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. See how Uncle Eugene describes a visiting priest who had the effrontery to sing the igbo song Bunieyaenu in church! Describing the priest after mass he said, "That young priest, singing in the sermon like a Godless leader of one of these Pentecostal churches that spring up everywhere like mushrooms.